The NCAA and the Battle of Choice and Rights
By: Anastasia Banks
The NCAA faced a tough uphill battle this past spring as the 10th Amendment hit close to home and threatened to force the league to relocate one of their top 2 major events of the year to a different State at the last minute. With all of the planning and money that goes into pulling off an event such as the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four tournament, this is anyones opinion is a public relations nightmare. Indiana evoked their "Religious Freedom" law which gives business owners the right to refuse service and to sell goods to gay and lesbian individuals.
So now you see the problem with this? The NCAA is now trapped in a storm not of their own making with many boycotting the event and coaches such as the 2014 NCAA Mens Basketball champion Connecticut Huskies coaching staff declining to attend the finals in response to the law. The NCAA has prided themselves on providing a sporting experience that is an inclusive environment. With many college athletes progressively living their lives as openly gay individuals and the NCAA initiative to boost their image when it comes to LGBTQ rights, it's a tough call when as an organization you are pushing equality while having to come to terms of the financial and time restraint ramifications for relocating an event such as this.
The NCAA went into ultimate damage control with the 4 coaches of the remaining teams joining together to release one statement showing their support of the NCAA but also pointing out their distain for the discrimination that was taking place in the state of Indiana. So as an organization, what do you do? The financial investment for this event not just by the NCAA but by the state of Indiana is great. The 2014 NCAA Men's Final Four cost the state of Texas $10.7 million to hold the event in Dallas. With that type of money on the line, even the state of Indiana had to utilize their own PR resources to save this ship from sinking.
Looking into the future and other events that have already been scheduled out to be played in Indianapolis and the state of Indiana's opportunity for future event bids, how could this negatively financially impact the city? They already had multiple events cancel from conventions to concerts and now the NCAA is taking a look at future events that are suppose to be taking place in the city. Overall, a legal move such as this can impact sporting events greatly from having to relocate or cancel an event, to having to deal with the PR negative ramifications of the decision made...its the battle between choice and rights.
Citations:
1. Alesia, M. (2015, April 3). NCAA: 'Religious freedom' law creates concern for future events. Retrieved September 22, 2015, from http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/2015/03/26/ncaa-indiana-religious-freedom-law-mike-pence-mark-emmert-final-four-indianapolis/70490096/
2. Alesia, M. (2015, April 2). How much does it cost to have the Final Four in Indy? Retrieved September 22, 2015, from http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2015/04/01/much-cost-final-four-indy/70806958/
3. Howard, A. (2015, April 1). NCAA Final Four coaches come out against Indiana's 'religious freedom' law. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
4. Sports, P. (2015, March 27). As Final Four nears, NCAA opposes Indiana religious freedom law. Retrieved September 22, 2015, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2015/03/26/ncaa-tournament-final-four-indiana-religious-freedom-law-gay-rights/70492134/
